Tree Surgeon - NOT amateur radio

Tree Surgeon at work

If you look carefully there is a man 40 feet up this tree, in a Cambridge park today, with a chain saw. Rather him than me!

Disappearing Patio - NOT amateur radio

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35800866 .

Thank goodness no-one was sitting on this patio when it disappeared into a 300 foot mine shaft!

Still quiet on 10m WSPR

Apart from a single spot for G4CUI (172km) this morning, nothing spotted, or spotting me, on 10m WSPR today. I am sure it is a lack of activity rather than poor conditions.

QRP Club

From Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report (March 7 to 13, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week: R2FAE, RV3GM, OH6NPV, UA1ASB, UR7VT, ON4ADR, UA1CEG,  RU3NJC,  OM6TC,  RD7K,  HA7REM,  DL6YAU, RA7RA, RW3AA, Z35M, IT9QAU, UY1IF, UA4NU, UA1CEX, ON6KZ, G0RGU
RA7RA became QRP Rendez-Vous Honor Frequenters!
See  full  Visitors  and  Frequenters  lists,  also  QRP  Rendez-Vous
schedule here - www.club72.su

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sunspots and 10m - Mon March 14th 2016

Solar flux is 95 today. Sunspot number is 43 (K=2). The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor" today.

I have been active on 10m WSPR since about 0715z.

UPDATE 0912z: So far just G4CUI (172km) spotting me on 10m WSPR.

10mW WSPR by G3WKW

My old work colleague (of long ago) Bob G3WKW has been experimentally frequency hopping on WSPR and has achieved remarkable results with 10mW from his Raspberry Pi. He has been hopping 160m to 10m. Note the spot by K9AN on 15m! Not bad at all for 10mW and a stand-alone PC.

24hrs hopping with 10mW WSPR by G3WKW

Return to 630m (472kHz) WSPR

For about 30 minutes now I have returned to 630m after a day on 10m WSPR. The first and second stations spotted were in Norway and Germany. Both these were stations I have seen before.

472kHz WSPR spots so far this evening

UPDATE 2222z:  Best DX on 472kHz WSPR TX (5mW ERP from earth-electrodes) so far tonight is PA7EY (306km). Best DX on RX so far is LA1TN (1269km).

U3AC - NOT amateur radio

Mondays this term I have been attending a University of the Third Age course in Cambridge. I go into, and out of, Cambridge on the bus using my (free) bus pass.  I am doing a course called "Living with less". Although I often disagree with the lecturer, I find the course informative.

As I usually have some time after the course, I get a bite to eat in different places in the city. At the moment my favorite is Le Patissier, opposite St John's College. This is a small place, but prices are reasonable and I have found the service very good.

Spring at last

Rear lawn after first grass cut

The Met Office (our UK weather bureau) treats the start of spring as March 1st. Well, there was no doubt that here it is now spring. Today I cut the back lawn for the first time since the autumn.

It was a day of b's: bench, beer (on the garden bench after doing the lawn), buzzard (overhead), bees, butterflies, blooms and blossom. Today really felt like a spring day. We have had a mild, wet winter but it has seemed endless. Today, the garden was calling.

Oh to be in England now that spring is here.  Honestly, there were times when I thought I would not see it.

This is another view of the rear garden in which you can see the V2000 (6m, 2m and 70m vertical) and the big-wheel (2m horizontal omni) antennas. If you click on the image you may be able to make out the 2m halo and maybe my wire for 10m, 20m and 40m. Not visible is the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground which I use on 472kHz TX and RX.  With 5mW ERP using the earth-electrode "antenna" on 472kHz WSPR I was received in Norway again last night.  Next autumn I must get a long wire for LF/MF strung up!

Another OFCOM cock-up? - NOT amateur radio

Southgate News reports on what some will see as another sign of OFCOM incompetence. Why did we chose the old standard?

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/march/millions_of_tv_sets_may_become_obsolete.htm .

OFCOM? Fruitcakes.